GOP presidential long shot
Rick Santorum is no stranger to anti-gay rhetoric,
but in the wake of New York's legalization of same-sex marriage Santorum
has been on a tear, ranting
that gay marriage 'cheapens marriage' and 'undermines faith' and imploring
Iowans to "Please join me in saving America."

Speaking
at a press conference Monday, Santorum said same-sex marriage is "going to have
a devastating impact on our children," illustrating his point by discussing a
couple who say their second-grader has to deal with transgender children in the
class. Therefore, he claims, with the legalization of gay marriage, children
will be "forced" to discuss gender issues, which will be "devastating."

SANTORUM: [T]here
are going to be profound impacts on children, both from the standpoint of what
now they're going to be talking about in school. I was, you know, with a couple
this weekend who live in Vermont and they have a similar situation up in
Vermont and you know, their
second-grader has to come home and deal with transgender children who are, you
know, talking about transgender issues in second grade. These are things that
are going to have a profound impact on children. When children are going to
start — you know, are going to be forced to be taught about all of these issues
that come with the implementation of gay marriage. It's going to be — it's going
to have a devastating impact on our children, it's going to have a devastating
impact on families, and it's going to have a profound impact on religious
liberties.

Santorum went on to say people
who support gay marriage "haven't thought through the consequences" of
supporting "quote, equality." Although Santorum claims to believe in the
dignity of every person "because of course we are all created
equal," this equality apparently doesn't apply
to "quote" gay people or "quote" gender issues.

But when it comes to faulty or
vitriolic arguments on this issue, Santorum is a repeat offender. He has compared
gay relationships to bestiality, incest, and polygamy, and said Catholic
priests who molest children are exhibiting "a basic
homosexual relationship."